Sugar Science

Sugars are small carbohydrate molecules — chains and rings of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen — that serve as energy currency in both plants and animals. In the kitchen, their value goes far beyond sweetness: sugars bind moisture, depress freezing points, feed fermentation, brown into hundreds of flavor compounds through caramelization and the maillard-reaction, and crystallize into the rigid structures of confectionery. Understanding which sugar does what — and why — is the key to controlling texture, color, and flavor across baking, preserving, and candy work.